Michigan State Police force 90 stronger as recruits graduate

Mar. 29, 2013

Written by

Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau

LANSING -- Ninety straight-backed, serious men and women lined up in the back of a Lansing Center meeting room, ready to finish nearly six months of training and start their careers.

With proud friends and family watching, cheering and taking tons of photos and videos, the newest Michigan State Police troopers got their badges and graduated from the 124th trooper recruit school.

The training was grueling, said Trooper Christopher Phillips of Traverse City: full of physical challenges, tough-as-nails instructors and drills ranging from getting sprayed with chemical compounds to getting dunked into ice-cold ponds.

"The achievements we've reached are like no other," he said. "We've chosen the hard right rather than the easy wrong."

Gov. Rick Snyder was the commencement speaker for the class, recalling the day he tried to train with the recruits doing laps inside a building that included multiple flights of stairs.

"I hung in there for the first lap, but then a big gap started to occur," he said.

He reminded the troopers that all Michiganders are their customers, even the ones they pull over for traffic violations.

"You may not get them to smile, but always treat them with respect," he said.

After lean budget years, in which recruit schools were held only three times since 2004, Snyder is committing significant resources into beefing up the State Police. Another recruit class will begin in May with about 75 potential troopers, and one is budgeted for next year with an estimated class of 107.

Before the new troopers dispersed to join their families, State Police Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue noted that the school was rigorous.

"Your journey has only just begun," she told the graduates. "I just ask that you please be safe."